


Thirst for Blood

by Salty_Lolita



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Dark, Disturbing Themes, F/M, M/M, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-02-06 06:20:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12811506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salty_Lolita/pseuds/Salty_Lolita
Summary: When the males of Seoul’s most affluent families reach the age of twenty-one, they are expected to compete in the Elyxion games. Only those who have dealt with the devil are aware of these games. The annual Elyxion games are upon us once again and as is tradition, the time for Byun Baekhyun to compete has finally arrived.





	1. Secret Meeting

Tragedy doesn’t discriminate by age or by wealth. Baekhyun learned that the hard way when he found his mother’s lifeless eyes staring straight into his soul ten years ago. When tragedy strikes, it doesn’t care if there are things left unsaid or issues unresolved. It most certainly doesn’t give a fuck if you’ve been too much of a pussy to face the hard facts of life in order to move past the pain and get over it.

Time becomes irrelevant when tragedy occurs. It’s a luxury that is too often ignored. Something you’ve more than likely wasted and don’t realise until it’s too late. It wasn’t until Baekhyun was leaning against the countertop in a pantry larger than the size of a modest apartment, waiting for _him_ when he realised this. Their time was coming. It was coming real soon.

The large, wooden door of the pantry creaked open and Baekhyun’s head whipped around to watch the dark figure slide in. He came after all. Albeit, late but _he_ came.

“Were you waiting for long?” he asked as a small smirk graced his lips.

Baekhyun wanted to wipe that smirk off his face with a fist right there and then but he couldn’t. For more reasons than one but the most important one being, he loved those lips. So instead, he shrugged. He had been waiting long enough to contemplate the meaning of his life, but he wasn’t going to say that aloud. Not to _him_. A sign of weakness would be bad for him – especially, with the games being so soon.

Two strong arms appeared on either side of Baekhyun’s body, palms leaning on the wooden countertop behind him. A broad chest, only inches away from his own, exuded warmth that mingled with his own and set his senses ablaze.

“If I wanted moody, I would’ve stayed with your sister,” he whispered so closely that his breath tickled the thin skin of his ear.

As his pearly white teeth approached Baekhyun’s ear to latch on, Baekhyun turned his head and looked at the door.

“How is my little sister these days?”

Baekhyun could feel his eyes staring at him and after a few seconds, the warmth that he felt left him and a deep chuckle filled the room. He folded his arms across his chest and flicked his hair away from his eyes.

“Fine,” he replied. “But I didn’t come all this way to talk about your sister.”

“And I didn’t tell you to meet me here at 10:30 only for you to arrive 40 minutes late with the scent of my sister’s fucking cum all over you, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun spat.

Humour danced behind Chanyeol’s eyes and he shook his head.

“Need I remind you that your sister is my fiancée,” he said. “And as her future husband, there are some things I need to do to satisfy her needs.”

Baekhyun’s lips tightened into a thin line at the reminder. The wedding preparations had been constantly in his face for the past few months but hearing it from _his_ lips ignited a darkness within him. And he needed to settle it before he lost control.

“On your knees,” Baekhyun ordered only to be met with a quirked eyebrow from the man across from him.

Baekhyun pushed himself off the countertop and sauntered across the room until he was an inch from Chanyeol’s face. Holding his chin between his index finger and thumb, he squeezed hard, turning Chanyeol’s face to meet his own, breathing heavily into the space between himself and Chanyeol’s lips.

“Don’t make me fucking repeat myself,” he grounded out between his teeth before kicking Chanyeol’s legs apart and pushing him down to the tiled floor.

Chanyeol dropped to the ground with a thud and looked back up at Baekhyun with a smile across his lips. This position was all too familiar for him. For them.

“I’m the one in charge here,” Baekhyun taunted, thrusting his hips forward. “Don’t you fucking forget that.”

Chanyeol’s smile only grew when he heard those words and his eyes lowered to the bulge in front of him. With greedy hands, he unbuckled Baekhyun’s jeans with haste, freeing his already hard cock. He took him into his mouth, slurping on it like it was an ice block in the middle of summer.

Heavy footsteps padded down the hallway outside the door and voices quickly joined in. It was the servants that Baekhyun’s father hired to run the house. Chanyeol pulled back as the sound of footsteps came closer and closer.

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun gripped the back of Chanyeol's head and forced his cock down the back his throat once more, punishing him with harder thrusts. Baekhyun’s head fell back and a groan passed his lips. The heavy footsteps were long gone now but they weren’t in the clear yet.

The clicks of heels echoed down the hallway this time, and they only became louder and louder. Opening one eye, Baekhyun looked through the slats of the door, and watched as the maid approached the pantry. Groaning, he grabbed Chanyeol’s hair and pulled him off his knees and pushed him to the other side of the room before stuffing his hard cock back into his pants.

Only seconds later, the door swung wide open and the maid he’d just seen gasped. Her eyes darted to Baekhyun’s crotch where his hard cock was hiding and a bright red flush crept up her neck.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, bowing her head. “I’ll go now.” Her eyes were glued to the floor. She knew her place in this house. They were at the bottom, even below the dogs that Baekhyun’s sister liked to keep around. They meant nothing to him.

“Hyunyoung,” Baekhyun called, stopping her in her tracks before she could flee the scene and spread gossip with the other maids. He wasn’t entirely sure if her name was Hyunyoung, but she wouldn’t correct him. All the maids that his father hired looked the same. Pretty. Young. Innocent. He had no trouble figuring out why – maid was just a glorified term for whore.

Her wide eyes lifted from the ground and looked into his own. Raising his hand, he beckoned her over with a finger. “Come to me.”

In his periphery, Baekhyun could see Chanyeol’s furrowed brows and tight jaw. He hated it when he did this. Played with other girls in front of him. Acted as if he was nothing more than a friend to him. But they were more. They had to have been after everything they’ve been through. After everything they’ve done together. But there was nothing Chanyeol could do. He was married to a woman. Baekhyun’s little sister, at that.

“Baekhyun,” he growled between his teeth. It was a warning. A warning not to do anything fucked up. But he should know better than anyone else that a warning wasn’t going to cut it for Baekhyun.

The young girl approached Baekhyun with slight hesitation and while he couldn’t blame her for that, it irritated him. When she was finally within an arm’s reach, he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. Her back was against his chest and her line of sight was set on Chanyeol – just where he wanted it to be. Nudging his knee between her creamy, white legs, he lifted her skirt. A gasp escaped her lips when his hand slid up her thigh.

Her panties were white lace which was a surprise for him. He’d been expecting something more innocent, like cotton or nylon. Satisfied with this, he pulled the fabric down, and a sprinkling of curly hair touched his fingers. And as if he knew it already, her cunt was wet. Dripping and needy. Desperate for his touch. This is how it always was with women when it came to Baekhyun. They couldn’t resist him.

He slipped two fingers inside, pushing past her swollen lips. He grinned as he felt her muscles tightened against them. She didn’t fight back but he silently wished she would. That was always more fun.

“Surprisingly, you’re tighter than I expected you to be, Hyunyoung,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. “How many men have you fucked in your short life?”

She moaned as he began a slow, tortuous finger-fuck. “One,” she gasped with her eyes closed. She couldn’t look at Chanyeol standing across from her. She was far too ashamed to do such a thing.

One. That was highly unlikely. She wasn’t _that_ tight.

“You’re lying,” he said. He moved his head over to the side of her black hair to get a good look of the blazing anger on Chanyeol’s face and he didn’t disappoint. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles were beginning to tick. Baekhyun observed him with amusement as his fists clenched and unclenched.

“Tell me the truth this time, Hyunyoung,” he said as he continued to finger her hot, wet cunt.

“Six,” she breathed. “Maybe seven, I don’t know.” Her own hands lifted her dress up a tiny bit to give him better access. It was a thing that only a little whore would do. At the same time, it told him that she’d had far more ‘lovers’ than seven.

“I want to fuck you, Hyunyoung,” Baekhyun whispered against her neck as he stared into Chanyeol’s eyes. “I want to fuck you right here, right now. And then I want to take you back to my room and fuck you there as well.”

She was moaning louder now, her body leaned forward as she attempted to grind herself against his fingers. Baekhyun was so focussed on the growls emanating from Chanyeol that he missed the second he snapped. Chanyeol reached out to her, but it was so quick. Too quick. Baekhyun had no time at all to react.

 _Crack_.

The maid stopped moving all at once and fell forward. Her limp body slid from his fingers and she hit the ground with a sickening thump.

“You can take her back to your room if you like the smell of rotting flesh,” Chanyeol spat out, venom laced his words.

“Are you a fucking idiot?” Baekhyun barked, looking down at the paling body. “My father is going to lose his fucking mind over this!”

Baekhyun would be lying to himself if he was enjoying every second of this. This, right there, was what he loved. Blood, death, murder, and pain. They were all the things that made his blood roll over and rush to his cock. They turned him on so fucking much. More than a scantily clad glorified whore would ever turn him on.

“I’ll get rid of it,” Chanyeol muttered, scrubbing the stubble on his jaw. “He won’t find out about this. I’ll make sure of it.” His face was a few shades whiter than earlier as what he’d done began to settle in his mind. Killing people wasn’t new to them, but Baekhyun’s father had strict rules in place that they promised to follow. The first of which being: don’t kill his fucking whores.

Killing on impulse was a very dangerous game. More often than not, it came with consequences that not everyone would like to face. This would be one of them. Killing one of Baekhyun’s father’s whores because you’re jealous that your lover was fucking her in front of you and can’t admit it was a moronic move. Only time would tell what consequences they’d be facing.

“There are cameras all over the house, you idiot,” Baekhyun snapped, shaking his head. “You can’t hide this from him this time.”

Chanyeol stuffed his clenched fists into his pockets and looked down at her body. She was young. Too young to die but if she was working here, it meant that her life didn’t mean shit anyway.

Stepping over her body, Baekhyun retrieved a glass tray and a couple of wine glasses that probably costed more than the maid’s entire bank account. He stepped to the side and threw the glass onto the ground. The sound of glass shattering across the marble floor pierced the air. Chanyeol’s eyes widened at his friend’s actions and then narrowed when he figured out what he was doing.

Baekhyun picked up the limp body and dragged her across the floor until she laid on top of the glass. Bending over, he picked up shards of glass and stabbed them into her neck. It was the perfect accident. He relished in the power that coursed through his body as he sliced her neck with glass. The blood flowing out and down his finger sent a shiver down his spine that he felt all the way to the soles of his feet. It was orgasmic.

Standing upright, he lifted his fingers to his mouth and sucked the blood off. Every single hair on his body stood up as the blood slid down his throat. Blood was something he craved but not just any blood – blood that only existed from his own doing.

“She was always such a clumsy girl,” he murmured, looking down at her pale body again with affection.

Cracking his knuckles, Baekhyun’s gaze shifted from the girl to Chanyeol’s reddened face. A small smirk graced Baekhyun’s lips as he walked across the room to Chanyeol. He knew that Chanyeol could see the darkness within him. It was rolling off him in waves and though, he thought he was the one who awakened this within him, he was sadly mistaken. These demons had been running through Baekhyun’s mind years before he laid eyes upon Chanyeol.

Chanyeol reached out to Baekhyun with his hand but before he could touch him, Baekhyun grasped his arm and turned him around until his arm was on his back and he was face-down on the counter. Baekhyun’s hard cock pressed into the crease of his ass.

“Look at what we did,” he teased as gestured over to the pool of blood that her body laid in. It was a beautiful sight. It was beautiful in a fucked up way and you had to be fucked up to find the beauty in it. But that’s what they were: fucked up as hell.

“You know nothing good comes from teasing me,” Chanyeol muttered, wiggling in an attempt to free himself from Baekhyun’s hold but it was to no avail.

Baekhyun chuckled. Teasing? He wasn’t teasing him. He was giving him a taste of his own medicine. If Chanyeol had truly thought he could meet him with the scent of his sister’s pussy and get away with it, then he was in for a surprise.

He released his arm, and held it down onto the counter instead of his back. Chanyeol made no move to escape. Roughly, Baekhyun shoved Chanyeol’s pants down his legs, then spat into the palm of his hand, barely taking the time to coat the tip of his cock before he slammed it into his ass. The grunt that ripped from him was loud. A bit too loud. But Baekhyun didn’t care. He hoped it was hurting. He hoped it hurt like fucking hell and the groans coming from Chanyeol’s mouth indicated that it was.

“Fuck you,” he rumbled.

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?” Baekhyun chastised, thrusting his hips forward slightly harder.

Familiar clicks of heels came down the hallway once again and Baekhyun sighed. No one was going to leave them alone today. These clicks weren’t faint or light like the whore’s had been. They were dominating and harsh. They were all too familiar to them both.

Realising this too, Chanyeol began to panic. Pulling back, he hissed under his breath, “Get off me. Someone’s coming.” Baekhyun enjoyed the way that he struggled against him. Another one of his turns on. It made him want to fuck him that much harder. And so, that is exactly what he does.

“Yes, someone is coming,” Baekhyun said, pushing in deeper. “That someone will be me if you continue to squeeze my cock like that.” Chanyeol’s entry was tight as hell as he pushed past the muscles, but unfortunately for Chanyeol, Baekhyun liked pain. Pain with sex was even better. Add in danger and he was in heaven. Chanyeol, on the other hand, didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

“Baekhyun,” he begged, his voice was hoarse. Baekhyun laughed and pulled out but he didn’t release him. Not yet. He pushed him over to the corner that the gaps of the door couldn’t see. When they were pushed up against the wall, Baekhyun looked into his eyes.

“I’ve missed you,” Chanyeol breathed. The vulnerability annoyed Baekhyun. He wasn’t there for the emotions and fluff that commonly came with relationships. No – he was there for the sex and the pain that he infused in it. But he took the vulnerability with both hands.

“Prove it to me then.” Pushing him down again as he did earlier, Baekhyun shoved his cock into Chanyeol’s mouth and began thrusting.

The clicks of the heels entered the kitchen which was where the entrance to the pantry was. Baekhyun couldn’t see from where they were now but he knew who it was. And if Chanyeol’s panic told him anything, it was that Chanyeol knew who it was as well. Forcing his cock deeper, Baekhyun closed his eyes and suppressed the moan that was climbing up his throat. That would give them away for sure.

He continued to pump his hips against Chanyeol’s face, savouring the moans that were vibrating over the ridges of his shaft. Chanyeol’s mouth sucked strong and face, his tongue skimming over the head. Over and over, it never ended.

Heat flushed up Baekhyun’s spine and his balls tightened as pleasure seeped from the tip of his cock down Chanyeol’s greedy throat. Pulling free just in time, he pumped the last drops of his cum over his mouth. Chanyeol took it all. He always did.

Drained of pleasure, Baekhyun tucked himself away and left Chanyeol on his knees. He grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter and pushed the doors open. The moment his foot stepped over the threshold, a squeal startled him.

“Baekhyun!” his little sister exclaimed, clinging onto him wherever she could.

“Jihyun.” He smiled against her cheek. She was a year younger than him but her appearance made her seem even younger than that. She was tiny. A lot shorter than him and she weighed next to nothing. “What a surprise to see you here.”

“I’m famished,” she said, patting her stomach. Her waist was even smaller than the last time he’d seen her and that had only been a week ago. But nothing he could say would change her mind about her figure. These days, having no figure was the ideal much to his displeasure.

“You have no meat on you, little sister,” he pointed out.

She folded her arms across her chest and pouted. Each time he saw her, she was wearing a new lipstick colour. This one was bolder than the last time he’d seen her. A dark cherry. He cringed at the thought of it smeared all over Chanyeol’s cock.

“If I eat anymore than I do then I’ll be bigger than Hayeon and you know how much I hate her.” Her brown eyes were as expressive as eyes could be. He saw the fury behind them – it was similar to his own. But he wasn’t going to push on the topic. After all, all he knew about Hayeon was how eager she was to be fucked in the school bathrooms.

The cupboard doors opened and Chanyeol appeared with a bag of chips in his hand. He popped one in his mouth and winced as Jihyun squealed at the sight of him. She ran over and quickly pulled him into a hug.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she murmured against his chest. Chanyeol was looking anywhere but her. In fact, his eyes were dead set on Baekhyun’s in a silent war.

Jihyun pulled away from the hug and looked up to Chanyeol who gave her a warm smile. Though he wasn’t looking, he could feel Baekhyun’s icy glare boring into his skull. Ever since the beginning of his relationship with Jihyun, things between them had been tense. Even more so with their engagement announcement.

Standing on her tippy toes, Jihyun reached up and planted a kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, her eyes widened.

“What have you been eating?” she asked. “It tastes delicious.”

Baekhyun smirked and bit his tongue before a snort escaped his lips. If only she’d known what Chanyeol had been eating for the past half an hour.

“Baekhyun,” Jihyun said, capturing his attention once more. “Daddy’s looking for you. He said the shipment came in last night.”

A frown crossed his features. He knew what the shipment was referring to and it was a little reminder that the games were getting closer and closer. Baekhyun pushed himself off the bench he was leaning on and left the room without a word. He was going to kill someone if he watched his sister snuggle into Chanyeol’s arms for one more second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be my first story on this website and for the EXO fandom. I am very aware that the characters are OOC but I was inspired by the Monster and Lotto music videos when writing this and Baekhyun looked straight up boss in those.
> 
> Other EXO members will make an appearance in this story and there will be a main female original character.
> 
> Feedback and comments are always welcome and encouraged. Please let me know if there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes. 


	2. Monster

Baekhyun stormed out of the kitchen and down the elaborate hallway that led to the east wing of the house. This house wasn’t his home anymore. He may have spent his childhood here, growing up with his sister among several nannies. But he wouldn’t call it his home. It felt more like a hotel in a foreign country than a place where his immediate family resided. Nothing would ever change that.

These days, he didn’t come to his father’s house often unless he was summoned by the man himself. In the past, Baekhyun would stop by on the weekends to catch up with his little sister but he stopped doing that two years ago. And there were plenty of reasons for this. For starters, he didn’t want precious, little Jihyun to see him on a bender week after week. Another reason being: the house was that fucking big that walking to the kitchen from his allocated bedroom constituted a workout in itself.

Oh, and she also started dating Chanyeol two years ago.

Taking a sharp turn around the corner, Baekhyun released the breath of air he was holding in. Seeing his father was one of his least favourite things to do and that said a lot because he hated a lot of things. If he had to pick between seeing his father or ripping his own nails off, he’d choose the latter. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have a choice. He never did and he never will. That’s just how their family worked.

The shocked expressions on the servant's faces as he walked past them told him that they weren’t expecting him today. He wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Baekhyun didn’t even know he was going to be paying a visit to his father until 8:00 that morning when his father’s butler called and invited him over. It had to be an important matter for such a late notice. Actually, it had to be important because the last time they met up for anything was when his father signed the entire payment for Baekhyun’s own apartment three years ago.

Luckily for Baekhyun, his presence was enough for the servants to shut up and do their own thing. He could feel their eyes on him but that didn’t irritate him as much as their constant chatter and squealing. He’d heard enough of that from his sister and unlike his sister, he wouldn’t hesitate to snap their necks if they did the same.

As he neared the end of the hallway, a lone figure stood in his path. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out who dared to stand in his path. As recognition came over him, Baekhyun unclenched his fists and smiled.

“It’s lovely to see you once again, Baekhyun,” the man said in a fatherly tone. “It has been too long.”

Baekhyun’s gaze dropped down the man as he took in every feature. From the wrinkles on his face to the scars on his hands, nothing about him had changed since the last time he’d seen him and that was over three years ago.

Lee Minsuk was his name and not only did he practically raise Baekhyun and Jihyun from the moment they came into the world, but he was also his father’s right-hand man. He was more than a father to Baekhyun than his actual father had ever been and for that alone, Baekhyun held nothing but respect for the man. Because let’s face it, Baekhyun was no angel and the man before him was a goddamn saint who put up with him for 15 years.

“You know you’re always welcome at my apartment,” Baekhyun said as he extended his hand.

Minsuk shook his head and held onto the hand as he pulled Baekhyun into a hug. Baekhyun usually didn't partcipate in hugs unless it was followed by sex but he made exceptions for two people: Jihyun and Minsuk. He owed them that much. 

“For some reason, I don’t think I’d really fit in at your apartment,” he said with a knowing smile.

That was all Baekhyun needed to know that the little ‘parties’ he held at his apartment had made word back to his father’s house. He wasn’t in the least bit surprised. The people that roamed these halls probably had nothing better to talk about anyway.

“As much as I’d like to catch up with you, I have a meeting with my father,” Baekhyun said as he made his way to move around Minsuk.

“Ah, that’s precisely why I’m here waiting for you,” the older man said. “Your father will be meeting with you in the basement today and I’ll be joining the two of you.”

With furrowed brows, Baekhyun nodded and followed Minsuk as he led him to the basement. They kept plenty of things in the basement. Namely antique furniture and artwork priced in the millions. The wine cellar was there as well but he couldn’t imagine having a meeting with his father in a room of old furniture or amongst the aging wine they held down there.

It felt like he’d been following Minsuk forever until they finally reached the stairs that descended down to the basement. A slight feeling a déjà vu came about Baekhyun. Following Minsuk to see his father wasn’t the fondest memory of his childhood. To put it simply: he got in trouble a lot and his father would try to discipline him. But he wasn’t a child anymore and he didn’t come all this way to be yelled at by his father. Minsuk probably still saw him as a child at only eighteen but it won’t be like that for too much longer. The games will make him a man once and for all. Life or death circumstances would do that to anyone.

They entered the small corridor that was outside one of the prohibited sections of the basement. Antique furniture and artwork were the only things that Baekhyun was certain of down here. These other sections were always locked and guarded. Standing just next to the vaulted door, his father looked up from his phone. His face was illuminated by the light of the screen and the lines that covered his face were only deepening as the days went by. Regardless of his age, his father always made it a point to dress well and that was evident in the Valentino suit that wrapped around his body.

“Let’s skip the small talk and get moving,” he snapped. “We’re already behind schedule.”

Baekhyun bit his tongue and plastered a pleasant smile on his face. His father wasn’t known for his hospitality but that didn’t explain the disappointment that Baekhyun was feeling when his father didn’t show the slightest interest in his wellbeing. He shrugged it off like he always did. It was the only way to cope.

Minsuk stepped around Baekhyun and walked over to the door. It looked like something out of a movie. It was made with metal and had about a dozen locks on it. Baekhyun glanced over to his father whose concentration was entirely on his mobile screen again. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed by what was behind the door but Baekhyun couldn’t say the same for himself.

He could hear them already.

The heavy door swung open and all three of the men winced as it collided with a thud into the brick wall. His father slipped his mobile into the pocket of his suit jacket and stepped forward to flick the switch on. With the whole room lit, Baekhyun’s eyes scanned the room until they landed on the figures up against the wall.

It all made sense why he was there now.

He walked into the room which consisted of one long corridor to the wall on the other side. On either side of the corridor, metal bars from the roof to the ground lined the pathway. It was like a zoo but instead of holding exotic animals in the cages, there were females. At first, they were hard to see as they cowered in the corner away from the light. But Baekhyun had seen more than enough. As far as he could tell, they were all nude and every single of one of them had put up a fight before they ended up in here. The bruises all over them told him that much.

“Where are they from?” Baekhyun asked his father who was mindless scrolling through his mobile again.

Without sparing a second to glance, he mumbled, “Mainly Japan and China.”

Minsuk cleared his throat and added, “Jihyun insisted that there be no Korean women this year considering her fiancé is competing. That girl of yours doesn’t like competition.”

Baekhyun grinned at the information. It was such a Jihyun request to make and he couldn’t believe for a second that his father allowed it. Little did she know that Korean women weren’t the people she should be worried about.

“Am I safe in assuming that they’re of legal age?” Baekhyun asked.

Minsuk nodded quickly. “Of course,” he replied. “Most of them are entertainers but there are a few who are trained in other specialties.”

Baekhyun nodded slowly and continued down the corridor while his father and Minsuk waited patiently by the door. He looked at the girls with little interest. They weren’t anything special. Hell, he could barely see them because half of them wouldn’t dare to even look at him in the eye.

Sighing, he turned around and crossed his arms. “Why the fuck did you bring me here?”

His father turned off his phone and walked passed Baekhyun. “There’s one girl that I think you might take a liking to.”

With his interest piqued, Baekhyun followed him until they came to abrupt stop at the end of the room. In fluent Japanese, his father called for the girl to come forward into the light.

“This is Minami,” he said while gesturing to the girl behind the bars. “She’s the best asset you can have for these games.”

Baekhyun studied her as she came forward into the dim light. Her black hair reached her midback and it looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. No doubt due to the circumstances she arrived here in. He wouldn’t put it past his father not to offer them any comfort. They weren’t here for such luxuries. Her deep brown eyes and doll-like face was a stark contrast between the rest of her body that was covered with scars. She was one of the girls trained in a speciality that wasn’t entertainment. A marred body like this wouldn’t survive in that type of world.

“You know this is against the rules, right?” Baekhyun said to which his father nodded.

“You’d be an idiot to play by the rules when it comes to life or death.”

Minsuk came up from behind Baekhyun and inserted the key into the lock to open the door to the cage. Minami made no move. As Baekhyun entered the cage, her eyes were trained on him and her chin tilted upwards as a sign of defiance. She didn’t cover herself like the other girls in the cage had done when he looked at them. She stood there in all her glory. Nude, in front of the three of them.

Standing only a foot away from Minami, Baekhyun raised his hand to her face but before he could grasp her chin, her own arm shot in an attempt to throw him off. But that’s all it was. An attempt. He’d seen it coming from a mile away and before she could lay a finger on him, his other hand gripped her wrist. With a tight squeeze, he tugged her tiny frame towards his own and breathed in heavily, savouring her scent.

“Too slow,” he murmured softly against her damp hair. She let out a shaky breath as his licked the drop of sweat rolling down her face. She was nervous as hell and while she wouldn’t tell that to him, her body defied her. The fear radiating from her was getting to Baekhyun. It was one of his favourite things. He pulled her body closer to his own until he could feel his hard cock pressed up against her ass.

Her slight intake of air made him chuckle. Reluctantly, he released her and as she turned around to face him, he could feel the sharp point of a knife poking his stomach. He looked down at the knife in her hand and a wide grin spread across his lips.

“I’m better with a knife,” she said in a heavy Japanese accent, anger and fear laced her words.

Her hand shook as she held the knife to his stomach. He couldn’t tell if it was the lack of food or fear causing it, but he settled on the latter. Looking at her face, he knew she wouldn’t do anything. Like his sister, her eyes told him everything. She was scared of being killed. Scared of what her future held while waiting in this prison but for good reason, she knew that he was important. It would only be with him, that she’d be able to stay alive.

“You speak Korean,” he said, making no attempt to conceal his surprise. “Colour me impressed.”

A hint of a smile crossed her lips, but she supressed it as quickly as it appeared. He quirked an eyebrow at that. For one, she clearly liked the compliment but more importantly, she understood him. He’d be sure to take full advantage of that once the games commenced but for now, there was a more important issue at hand.

Very slowly, he brought his hand up and placed it over her own. With a tight hold, he moved the knife away from his body and twisted her arm until the tip of the knife probed the skin of her cheek. It was the one area of her body that had an absence of scars and he couldn’t wait to change that.

“Let me add one more of these to your pretty body,” he murmured as he slowly dragged the knife down her cheek.For the second time that day, he was disappointed that a girl didn’t fight against him. But he wouldn’t blame Minami for this one. She could barely hold the knife in the first place. Tears prickled at her eyes, but she fought hard to hold them in. She bit her tongue until the taste of copper flooded her tastebuds to stop herself from crying out.

Satisfied, Baekhyun released her hand and licked the blood off the blade before placing it into his back pocket.

“Now we match,” he grinned.

She brought her fingers up to her face and smeared the blood that was rolling down her cheek. She looked at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. With hesitation, she reached out to him and cupped his cheek. As her thumb traced over the scars on his own face, Baekhyun closed his eyes and sighed at the touch. Normally, he wouldn’t let anyone touch him like this – especially, a stranger. But this felt nice. Her new scar mirrored his own. It bonded them in a fucked-up way.

“What’s wrong, Minami?” Her name rolled off his tongue like velvet and she subconsciously squeezed her thighs together.

“I– I had you,” her voice trembled. Tears flowed down her face and mixed in with the blood that was seeping out of the cut he’d created.

Baekhyun smiled softly and shook his head.

“You never had me, Ohara Minami,” he chuckled.

She took a step back and covered her gaping mouth. He knew her full name and not once had it mentioned to him since he walked into the room.

“How– how do you know?” Her voice shook as she tried to come to terms with the fact that he knew her family name. 

“Ohara Erika was a close friend of mine,” Baekhyun answered as he flicked his hair away from his eyes. “I’m assuming that she taught you everything you know about knives.”

Her eyes widened and something new was hiding behind them now. Something he hadn’t seen in all the time he had been teasing her today. It was something he was all too familiar with. It was darkness.

Taking two steps forward until they were chest to chest once more, she looked up at him.

“Where is she?” she growled, her face flushed with anger. “Where the hell is she?”

Baekhyun looked at her with amusement and smiled. He stepped away from her and made his way back to the door of the cage. She didn’t follow him but at the same time, her eyes didn’t leave him for a second. As Minsuk locked the cage, she finally came forward and held onto the bars, waiting for an answer.

Baekhyun turned around and approached her. He lowered himself until he was at her height and gave her his trademark charming smile.

“I killed her,” he whispered, eyes wide with amusement as he observed the hundreds of emotions cross her face. “And believe me, I enjoyed every single second of it.”

Her body drooped, and her lips quivered as she fought back the sob that was climbing up her throat, but it was to no avail. She let go of the bar and staggered back while shaking her head. His father watched on with interest while Minsuk looked away. He could never stomach these things. It made Baekhyun wonder why he would put up with all the crap his father did over the years because it was much worse than this.

Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown as she held her palms to her head. Words were coming out of her mouth, but they were in a language he couldn’t understand. After a few seconds, she walked straight back up to the bars and began to thrash against them. Her scream pierced the air and from the corner of his eye, he could see his father covering his ears.

With one last glance at her, Baekhyun spun around and headed toward the door. He’d dealt with enough screaming for the day and he wasn’t going to stay around for any more.

Her screams came to a sudden stop. When he reached the door, he looked back once more. He couldn’t see her but her muffled cries let him know that she was still there.

“You’re a monster,” she spat. 

A smile blossomed on his face. He liked that:  _Monster_. The name suited him well. He made a mental note to thank her for that later.

Minsuk began working on the locks and Baekhyun turned his attention to his father who looked like he aged ten years in that room alone.

“Well, now that you two are acquainted, I’ll get going now,” he said. “Don’t forget about dinner tonight. It will be our last dinner before the games so please show up. For Jihyun, at least.”

As his father hurried off to whatever his next appointment was, Minsuk stood idly beside him.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Minsuk began. “Who is Ohara Erika?”

Baekhyun debated in his mind on whether he wanted Minsuk to know about this, but he decided that it wouldn’t do any harm. After a few seconds of silence, he opened his mouth.

“Ohara Erika was her older sister,” he answered. “And I killed her six months ago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the subscriptions and kudos!


	3. A Lethal Arrangement

**1 ½ Years Ago**

Baekhyun’s head pounded with every beat that came out of the loudspeakers. He hadn’t touched alcohol in two days but the instant he entered the nightclub, he had a headache. He knew he should’ve bailed the moment he received the invitation but not attending was out of the question. Every action and inaction a person did had a consequence, and he did not want to face the wrath of Kim Jongdae when he found out he didn’t go to his birthday party.

His eyes scanned the area in front of him, trying to see if any of his friends had arrived yet but he couldn’t see fucking shit. The entire room was practically pitch black except for the stream of light that occasionally flashed in his direction. If he kept his eyes opened any longer, he was going to have an epileptic episode right there on the dance floor.

On the opposite side of the club, there was a long bar with three bartenders behind it. On the right side, there were a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Tilting his head upwards, he squinted his eyes to survey the floor above. He could spot various booths situated along the balcony which were already occupied by parties. There were also a few circular platforms where the strippers stripped and danced around the pole under a colourful strobe light. There was only one thing this club was missing: his friends. How fucking typical.

Throwing in the towel after one whole minute of looking, he decided to turn around and head straight out the door. He’d already done his years of clubbing and these days, it was more of a chore than anything else. He much preferred having little ‘parties’ at his own apartment. Jongdae, on the other hand, practically lived at nightclubs. If you asked him, he would call them his second home.

He ran his fingers through his hair from the hundredth time that evening and huffed. He probably should check the VIP booths upstairs before leaving. Realistically, he should’ve checked those first because that was the only place they’d ever sit in a club like this. Baekhyun crossed the dancefloor as quickly as possible. After only being groped twice, he walked up the stairs that led to the second floor.

The moment he reached the top of the stairs, his eyes landed on a few familiar faces. Some of the other people who were also invited to the party had already arrived and were fully enjoying the services provided by the dancers he’d grown to know over the years. But his focus wasn’t on them. No– it was on one person.

Sitting there, huddled into Chanyeol’s arm was his fucking sister.

Like a predator seeking its prey, Chanyeol’s gaze found Baekhyun’s before anyone else had even noticed him. A smirk popped up on Chanyeol’s mouth as he pulled Jihyun even closer to his body.

“Son of a bitch,” Baekhyun muttered under his breath as he took long strides toward the booth.

More and more heads turned around at his arrival and welcomed him with a smile as he approached the table. He didn’t miss the fact that the fucking birthday boy himself was nowhere to be found. Baekhyun sat down across from Chanyeol and Jihyun and pulled a blunt out of his pocket. He placed it in between his lips and lit the other end. Even though it was dark, he didn’t miss the face Jihyun pulled as he puffed smoke in her direction. She wasn’t going to say anything – at least, she wouldn’t say anything in front of this crowd.

“Where’s Jongdae?” Baekhyun finally asked, wanting the night to be over already.

Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders and bent his head down to Jihyun’s ears. He whispered a few words into her ear that sent her into a fit of giggles. Baekhyun’s jaw clenched at the interaction. If this was how Chanyeol wanted to play, then sure. Baekhyun would just spend the rest of the night on the opposite side of the club.

“He’s probably trying to haggle the bartender for some free drinks,” Jihyun said in between her giggles. “You know what he’s like.”

Baekhyun wanted to roll his eyes at her comment but he didn’t. In all honesty, it did sound like something Jongdae would do. Despite being the heir to a not-so-legal pharmaceutical company, Jongdae would never turn down the opportunity to scam or barter people for free shit. Hell, knowing Jongdae, he’d probably leave tonight without spending a dime. That’s how it always was with him, and that was always why Baekhyun had to think twice before accepting his invitation tonight.

And yeah, Baekhyun was filthy rich too, but he wasn’t going to pay for all the shit Jongdae did every time they went out.

“There he is!” Jihyun pointed toward the stairs that Baekhyun had just come from. He threw his head over his shoulder and watched as Jongdae bounced up the stairs with a bottle of champagne in each hand. He’d fucking done it again.

“Well, aren’t I the luckiest man in the world?” Jongdae yelled over the music. “The infamous Byun Baekhyun has graced my party with his presence!”

As much as Baekhyun tried to fight back the grin forming on his face, he couldn’t. That was the effect that Jongdae had on people. Standing up, Baekhyun walked over to Jongdae and pulled him into a hug. They’d been friends since childhood – it’d always been Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Chanyeol but ever since Chanyeol started dating Jihyun five months ago, she somehow managed to get invited to their little get-togethers. There was no doubt that Baekhyun adored his little sister but having her around all the time made it a lot harder to screw around with Chanyeol.

“You owe me for this one, Jongdae,” Baekhyun teased as he slapped his friend on the back. “You know how much I fucking hate coming to these shitty nightclubs.”

Jongdae threw his head back in laughter, and Baekhyun grinned. He was always in a good mood when Jongdae was around.

With the back of his hand that was clutching onto a champagne bottle, Jongdae pushed the topless dancer aside and slid onto the leather couch of the booth. Once seated, he placed his two champagne bottles on the table and tapped his glass. It was futile because everyone already had their eyes on him. After all, it wasn’t hard to miss his blue velvet suit in a club like this. It was the sort of outfit more suitable on the red carpet than in a nightclub that smelled like piss and vodka.

“We’re drinking for free tonight, boys!” he announced with his beaming smile.

“You realise that two bottles won’t last five minutes between the four of us, right?” Jihyun asked as she jerked her dainty finger between the bottles across from her.

Jongdae’s eyes narrowed in on her, and he leaned across the table with his hands folded on top of one another.

“Are you lost, sweetheart?” Jongdae asked. “Because I don’t remember inviting you to my birthday party.”

Jihyun opened her mouth to respond but pressed her lips into a thin line when Chanyeol spoke up.

“Jongdae,” Chanyeol warned. “Enough.”

He didn’t need to say anymore because the message was clear as day: don’t treat my girlfriend like shit. Whether Jongdae was going to adhere to that warning was a completely different question.

Jongdae had disliked Jihyun from the moment he met her, and that was over fifteen years ago. Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol didn’t have a clue as to why, and no matter how much they pestered the two of them, neither Jihyun nor Jongdae would explain it. But if there were two things that Jongdae excelled in, they were:

getting shit for free; and,  
holding grudges.  
Baekhyun doubted that Jongdae even knew why he hated Jihyun, but since they’d been at it for so long now, it was just normal. 

“Chanyeol and I don’t drink that crap anyway,” Baekhyun said as he picked up one of the bottles and popped the cork off. He’d been doing this for Jongdae since they’d started drinking at the age of fourteen. For whatever reason, Jongdae didn’t have the balls to do it himself.

Jongdae shrugged his shoulders and dragged the bottles closer to his side of the table, and more importantly, just out of Jihyun’s reach.

“More for me then,” he gloated as Jihyun extended the middle finger toward him.

Baekhyun knew right then and there that this night was going to be an absolute shit show with the two of them there. That wasn’t even including the fact that he, himself, had been in a bad mood from the moment he saw Chanyeol’s arms around his fucking sister. The time they had together was few and far between now. Tonight would’ve been theirs but not anymore.

“I’m going to get a drink,” Baekhyun yelled as he pushed the girl off his lap. He wasn’t in the mood for this at all. He needed a drink, or four of them if he was going to survive the night. And as is tradition with Jongdae, it was going to be a very long night indeed.

“I’ll join you!” Chanyeol ripped himself away from Jihyun and scooted out of the booth. Baekhyun shot a quick glance in Jihyun’s direction and caught her frowning. She hated coming to these clubs as much as he did, but she would jump off a cliff if it meant Chanyeol was waiting for her at the bottom. Would Baekhyun jump? Hell fucking no.

Baekhyun ignored him and headed straight down the stairs to the main floor. He pushed through the crowd until he reached the bar. For a club that boasted ‘exclusivity’, it was packed to the brim. It only took one glance at the crowd to recognise that being a slut was the entry fee into this place. No wonder Jongdae insisted on going to this club.

After a few minutes, the bartender came up to where he was standing and curled his hand around his ear.

“Vodka dry martini with a slice of lime,” Baekhyun yelled. It would be a miracle if the bartender heard him.

“We don’t serve that shit here, man.”

Baekhyun groaned and slid a ₩100,000 note across the surface of the bar. Without a second thought, the bartender took the bill and slipped it into his pocket. Sure, money couldn’t buy happiness, but it could buy a lot of things – like a person’s dignity.

“Make that two!” Chanyeol shouted, sliding his own note across. The bartender, who looked like he’d just won the lottery, snatched it off the counter and walked off.

A warm, broad chest pressed up against Baekhyun’s back, and there was no mistake in who it was.

“You’re ignoring me again,” Chanyeol whispered against Baekhyun’s ear.

“For good fucking reason,” Baekhyun muttered back. He didn’t move – no, he liked the feeling of Chanyeol’s hard cock pressed up against him while his little sister waited upstairs at a party she didn’t belong at.

“You’re not mad at me for bringing my girlfriend along, are you?” Chanyeol teased as he licked Baekhyun’s ear. “That sounds like jealousy to me. What do you think?”

Baekhyun kept his mouth shut in a tight line and waited for the bartender to return with his drink. He wasn’t going to entertain Chanyeol’s slight suspicion that he was jealous because he fucking was jealous. Nearly a fucking eternity later, the bartender returned with two drinks and placed them in front of Baekhyun. Picking up both, he turned around and downed one of them in one gulp, savouring the burning sensation in his throat. Chanyeol held out his hand for his drink, and Baekhyun walked straight past him.

As Baekhyun slipped through the crowd, a hand clasped his wrist and tugged him back. He didn’t have to look behind him to see who it was – the calloused palms were all too familiar. Turning around slowly, Baekhyun gave a pointed glare to the hand around his wrist until Chanyeol let go.

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol said, showing a hint of remorse – this was his first mistake. “She practically invited herself. I tried to stop her but–”

Baekhyun stepped towards Chanyeol until his back hit the wall in the dark corner of the club – this was his second mistake. Chanyeol’s eyes widened as he came to terms with the predicament he got himself into.

“She does that all the fucking time,” Baekhyun growled. “Surely, it’s not surprising anymore.”

“Yeah but–”

Baekhyun cut him off – not with words but with his hand squeezing the bulge in Chanyeol’s pants. Chanyeol breathing quickened, and his eyes shifted from Baekhyun to the people behind him. He was scared they were going to get caught, and Baekhyun loved every second of it.

“Go ahead, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun murmured against his cheek. “Admit that my little sister is holding you by the balls like I’m doing right now.”

Chanyeol grounded his teeth and pushed Baekhyun off him with two hands. The corners of Baekhyun’s mouth quirked up. He loved a fight.

“Get the fuck off me,” he said in a hushed voice. “What if Jihyun caught us?”

Baekhyun thought about that for a moment. He wouldn’t know what he’d do if Jihyun ever found out about their relationship. Knowing her, she’d probably tell their father and have him disowned. But he wouldn’t tell Chanyeol that. He’d never willingly give information to another person to use as leverage against him.

“Not my problem.” He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. It was his problem, but he didn’t give two fucks about it at that moment. Chanyeol had already pushed his boundary by bringing Jihyun tonight and the stunt he pulled at the booth and then again at the bar? Nope, Baekhyun wasn’t going to be walked over like a doormat.

Baekhyun spun around on his heel and looked back over his shoulder to Chanyeol.

“Thanks for the drink, dickhead,” he said as he raised the glass in the air.

Knowing that Chanyeol wouldn’t follow him anymore that evening, he beelined straight to the restroom. He wasn’t going to go back upstairs and sit through another hour of Jihyun and Chanyeol acting all lovey-dovey. That shit made him want to vomit. He needed time alone, but it wasn’t going to come by easily. No matter how hard he tried to shake off the feeling, he sensed a pair of eyes watching his every move.

Shoving the door open, he walked past the urinals and went straight to the stall and unzipped his pants. Pissing at the urinals with all these drunk men in the room was pretty much asking for a golden shower, and unfortunately, that’s not his kink.

As his piss hit the ceramic bowl of the toilet, he groaned. It felt good as fuck but what he really needed was to bury his cock deep down someone’s, preferably Chanyeol’s, throat. But that wasn’t going to happen with his sister around. Fuck.

He listened intently to the sounds outside his stall. The bathroom was quiet – almost too quiet for a busy night like it was. It could only mean two things: he wasn’t alone, and it was game time.

He swung the stall door open and came face to face with the tip of a knife. It wasn’t just any knife though. The blade had been forged and cut for a very specific use, and the handle was carved to fit the user perfectly.

Looking down past the blade, his gaze landed on two big brown eyes. Trying to play it cool, he flashed his signature grin which had absolutely no impact on the person standing in front of him. Tough crowd tonight.

“A woman in the men’s bathroom,” he drawled, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Out of nowhere, she swiped the blade against his cheek at lightning speed. It wasn’t deep enough to leave a scar, but it was enough for blood to run down his cheek and ruin his new white shirt.

“You fucking bitch,” he spat out. The curiosity that was in his eyes only a moment ago was now replaced with anger. But the anger was directed at her, it was directed at himself for not being able to block her attack.

“No talking or I do it again,” she said as confidently as she could manage, but Baekhyun didn’t miss the slight tremble in her words. That wasn’t even the thing that intrigued him the most about this girl. No – it was the heavy Japanese accent that she was doing a terrible job of concealing. She wasn’t from around here. In fact, she was a very long way away from home.

Baekhyun did what he was told for perhaps the first time in his life. He raised his eyebrows in a motion that told her to hurry the fuck up and tell him what she wanted before he lost his mind.

“I need money,” she said as she wiped the sweat off above her mouth. Without tilting his head, Baekhyun’s eyes trailed down her body. Her clothes were cheap, dirty, and partially ruined. It looked like she hadn’t had a shower in weeks. But behind all of that was her doll-like face. He’d never seen something, so innocent-looking wield a blade like she did.

A few seconds of silence, Baekhyun pursed his lips. “Can I speak now or are you going to slice me up like a piece of sashimi again?”

Much to Baekhyun’s dismay, she didn’t laugh. She did bob her head up and down though. Her eyes never leaving his for even a second. She was trained in whatever the fuck she did, that was for sure.

“While I usually don’t pay for prostitutes,” he said as his eyes dropped down to her breasts. “I suppose I could make an exception tonight.”

His eyes flickered with amusement as he watched anger overtook her face. Now, that had gotten a reaction out of her. Perfect.

“I’m not a whore,” she said in-between clenched teeth.

Baekhyun shrugged. “Could’ve fooled me,” he said. “So, you wear these clothes on a regular basis then?”

Her eyes dropped down to her own body and Baekhyun took the opportunity to grab her by the wrist and twist her body around until the blade was held a millimetre away from her neck. At first, she struggled against him, but the moment she realised that the blade was near her neck, she went limp.

“Rookie mistake,” Baekhyun breathed against her ear. “But you’re not a rookie, are you?”

She grunted something unintelligible, and he could only assume that she’d said no.

“You need to be more careful next time, whore,” he mumbled against her neck. “I knew you were following me from the moment you set your eyes on me at the bar.”

“How could you know?”

“Look at yourself,” he said with disgust. He hated when people underestimated him. “You stick out like a sore thumb among the girls out there.”

He tugged her back inside the stall and pushed her up against the wall, the blade never leaving her neck.

“Who are you and why the fuck did you follow me in here?” Baekhyun demanded.

They were now face-to-face. One of his hands held the knife, and the other held her wrists behind her back. Her eyes shifted from his face to the door, and back to the knife. She was taking too long, so he swiped her cheek this time. Revenge’s a bitch.

“Start talking,” he hissed. “I don’t have all fucking day.”

Her eyes glowered at him, and her breaths came out laboured from her nose.

“Ohara Erika,” she stated. “I was told that you, Kim Jongdae, would be an easy target for money. They didn’t mention that you know how to disarm a knife.”

Baekhyun lowered his head and started to laugh. Who the fuck told her this shit? How the hell did she mistake him for Jongdae?

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I’m not who you’re looking for,” Baekhyun said and her mouth dropped open. An image of her mouth wrapped around his cock flashed in his mind. “But even if you did manage to corner Jongdae, you wouldn’t have gotten a cent out of him.”

Her brows furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t carry money around with him, sweetheart,” he answered. “Now, are you going to behave, or do I have to hold this knife of yours against your throat all night?”

Erika’s eyes bounced from her knife and back to him. “I’ll behave.”

“Good girl.” He pulled back the blade and studied it. It had an insignia engraved on the handle, but he didn’t recognise it. Youth, Beauty, and Blood were inscribed on the blade. This only supported the fact that the blade was customised for her.

He looked back up to the owner of the blade and narrowed his eyes. Her arms were wrapped around her waist and she looked smaller than ever. Like a child who’d been caught stealing from the cookie jar.

“Who do you work for?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

“No one,” she shot back just as quickly.

Baekhyun snorted and gestured to the blade with his hand. “Not just anyone comes into possession of a blade like this.”

She rolled her eyes and huffed. It was a sensitive topic by the looks of it but he didn’t care. He wanted to know everything about her – right down to the details of her menstrual cycle if that would explain why she was pinning after Jongdae.

“It’s the blade of the Ohara family–my family,” she said softly. “I ran away four months ago.”

“And what does your family specialise in?” he asked. It was obvious that she didn’t come from just any other ordinary family. She came from a family like his. One that specialised in arts and trade that only the black market accepted.

“Killing.”

As he thought about it, it did make sense. She had a blade made for her and she knew damn well how to use it. But there were so many unanswered questions running through his mind.

“And where does youth and beauty come into that?” he asked. It was probably one of his least important concerns at the moment, but he had to ask or else he’d be thinking about it for the next month.

“When you think of an assassin, you think of a man, correct?” Baekhyun nodded. “In the Ohara family, only females are trained to kill. We seduce our target and then we go in for the kill.”

Baekhyun leaned against the door, stroking the flat side of the blade.

“I have one problem with that,” he said.

She cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

“Attractiveness is often a requirement for seduction.” He lifted the knife and waved it around her body like a baton. “I’m not seeing any of that here.”

Erika unfolded her arms and placed them on her hips. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She was close to her breaking point by the stage. Her whole plan had been fucked up and now, she might even lose her knife too.

“Can you please just give me my knife back, so I can–”

“No.” Baekhyun cut her off. “I think we can help each other out.”

“I told you that I’m not a whore.”

He smirked briefly and shook his head. “That’s not what I had in mind,” he said. “In exchange for providing you everything you need, you’ll be my toy.”

“That sounds exactly like a synonym for whore.”

“This isn’t the game of seduction that you’re used to, sweetheart.” His mouth twisted into a grin. “No, this is a game of revenge.”

Erika processed his words as she bit onto her bottom lip. Not-so-innocent thoughts raced through Baekhyun’s mind and once again, he was reminded that he needed to shove his cock in something warm tonight.

“And you’ll give me everything I need?”

“New clothes, food, new identification, my cock,” he listed them off.

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms once again.

“Tell me.” She lifted her chin. “Who are we seeking revenge on?”

Baekhyun flashed his sinister grin.

“My old toy.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the age from 18 to 21 to enter the 'games' because 18 seemed too young. You'll find out more about the games in the next chapter. I originally planned it for this chapter but I wanted to include this flashback.
> 
> I don't think a lot of you would know this but meth has ammonia in it. So, meth users often smell like urine. When I refer to the club smelling like piss, it means that drugs are being used there. Thanks for reading!


	4. Family Affair

Looking down on the streets of Seoul, people seemed so small. They looked like tiny ants shuffling from one end of the road to the other. They truly did seem like a spec of stardust that could vanish within a second. People were so insignificant in the scheme of things. Whatever made them anxious and whatever brought them happiness meant nothing at the end of the day. But even knowing that they still went to work each day, they still paid their bills on time, and they still followed the laws of the land created by specs of stardust that existed decades ago. For all his life, Baekhyun just couldn’t understand their way of life.

Perhaps, it was because he’d grown up differently to most people. His life was, by no means, normal. Being the son of one of the most influential men in Asia was a pretty big deal, and normalcy was a luxury that not even their dirty money could buy. However, there was a slight difference in his influence. It wasn’t exactly what one would call legal – actually, people with a sound mind found it disgusting and unforgiving. To say the least, sex trafficking wasn’t looked upon lightly by other people. Just by association, Baekhyun was ostracised from various groups. It wasn’t easy growing up.

An image of Ohara Minami standing in his father’s cell flashed through his mind. She’d been on his mind all the time as of late. He couldn’t understand how or why she was captured by his father’s men. If she was anything like her sister had been, she would’ve been able to fight them off. He quickly dismissed that thought because, after their brief encounter the other day, it was clear that Minami lacked something. Only time would tell what she lacked, but in a game of life or death, it was apparent she wouldn’t belong. She was going to be used, killed, and tossed aside for the dogs to eat. Contrary to what his father had said Minami wouldn’t be an asset to Baekhyun. He would be an asset to her.

There were three loud knocks on the door of his bedroom. They didn’t startle him in the slightest – he’d been expecting them. He knew he was late to dinner and he also knew who his father would send to fetch him. Unmoving, Baekhyun didn’t say a word. Whoever wanted to speak to him pounded on the door again. They were louder this time – a sign of irritation. Perfect. That was just how he wanted him.

The door creaked open a tiny bit and a head popped through.

“Baekhyun,” the person bit out, “did you honestly forget about dinner?”

He kept his eyes trained on the streets of Seoul and lifted his glass in the glass.

“I’m in need of a refill, Chanyeol.”

The frown lines on Chanyeol’s face deepened. He thought about whether entering Baekhyun’s trap would be worthwhile for a couple of seconds and then pushed the door wide open. He didn’t forget to fasten the lock as he walked in.

Chanyeol made his way to the mini bar that was inundated with expensive alcohol. He picked up a glass off the top shelf and picked up Baekhyun’s most luxurious whiskey. As he poured a bit into his glass, and then Baekhyun’s glass, Baekhyun hadn’t said a word. Right off the bat, he knew something was wrong because Byun Baekhyun _always_ had something to say.

“So, the games are tomorrow,” Chanyeol mumbled, trying to fill the awkward air between them. The Games was the elephant in the room, and they rarely spoke about it because it was against the rules to work with another participant. That made Chanyeol even more nervous, but Baekhyun never conveyed such emotion. “Are you scared?”

Baekhyun scoffed at the mere suggestion. “Why on earth would you think that?”

He gave him a half-shrug even though Baekhyun wasn’t looking in his direction at all. “Well, you’re not acting like . . . like you,” he finished off lamely. He didn’t want to say the truth aloud.

Baekhyun tossed his head toward Chanyeol, his eyes lowered a bit. “You’re telling me that you’d rather be strapped to my bed knowing that my sister is only a couple of rooms away?” He jerked his finger over to the king-sized bed behind him. “Surely, we can have a conversation without my cock in your mouth.”

Chanyeol pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded. That was exactly what he didn’t want to say aloud. He was worried something might hear them, worried that someone had a mic on them. But even so, he didn’t expect anything less from Baekhyun. That man had no filter.

“Let’s just cut the chase then,” Chanyeol said. “What’s wrong with you? You’re hiding something from me.”

There were many things that Baekhyun was hiding from Chanyeol and yet, he never picked up on those things before. Minami flashed through his mind once again, and he bit his cheek, feeling the taste of copper enter his mouth. He couldn’t tell Chanyeol about her – not when he was going to be his enemy tomorrow.

He swirled his drink in his hand and stared at the bottom of the glass. “Have you ever had a run in with a ghost from your past?” Baekhyun asked. It was a vague question. Too vague for something coming out of Baekhyun’s mouth. He was always straight to the point in the most vulgar way possible.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Not that I can remember, why? What has happened during the time I’d last seen you?”

Baekhyun lifted his glass to his mouth and finished it with a gulp. As always, it burned as it slid down his throat and he wondered if it was ever not going to burn. It was a constant reminder that he did feel something.

“Nothing happened,” he muttered and spun around toward the door. Before he could unlock it, Chanyeol pulled him back by the collar.

“Who did you bump into?” His voice was a bit more serious this time. He sounded possessive which was funny to Baekhyun. He couldn’t be possessive over something he never owned.

“No. One,” Baekhyun spat out the words. The possessiveness didn’t bother him – the fact that Chanyeol was holding him back by the collar did.

“Is it about _her_?”

Shrugging his hand off his collar, Baekhyun turned around and walked up to Chanyeol until they were chest to chest. Both of them looked intently into each other’s eyes.

“It’s always about her; you know that.”

 His nostrils flared, and anger clouded his features. Chanyeol pushed him away and looked at him with utter disgust.

“Ohara Erika is dead, Baekhyun!” he shouted, fury laced within his voice. “Get over it already. You’re the one who fucking killed her!”

Baekhyun’s eyes darkened as he looked up at Chanyeol’s flushed face. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he was going to do something he might regret. Lifting his fist up, he stabbed a finger into Chanyeol’s chest.

“Yes, Chanyeol, I’m the one who killed her,” he said. “But you and I both know that it was all your fault.”

Without another word, Baekhyun left the room. He couldn’t stay there any longer. He couldn’t lose his temper right now. Not when he had to meet his family for dinner. Not when the games were starting the next day. Having an injured hand would be asking for a death sentence. He needed to be in his best shape tomorrow – it was the only way to survive. A handicap guaranteed death.

After walking down various corridors of his father’s mansion, he finally reached the white dining room. It was called the white dining room because, as you probably guessed, everything in there was white. They also had a red dining room, a black one, even a blue one. This is what people with excess wealth spent their money on – useless shit that was never used except for the odd occasion every few years.

He came to an abrupt stop at the entrance to the room. The table was set, plates full of food were placed, and four pairs of eyes were on him. Chanyeol, who was hot on his trial, ran straight into his back.

Baekhyun’s father, sitting at the head of the table, looked up from his plate. Exhaustion had aged him. His frown lines looked like they were engraved in his face.

“I’m glad the guests of honour could finally join us,” he said in a tone dripping with sarcasm. “Please, take a seat.” He gestured towards the two chairs next to each other. One was directly across from Jihyun, and the other one was across from Chanyeol’s mother. Down the other head of the table, opposite to Baekhyun’s father, was Chanyeol’s father. It was a family affair and depending on the outcome of the Games, it would be the first of many.

Just as Baekhyun was going to take his first step towards his chair, across from Chanyeol’s mother, he felt a hot breath on his neck.

“Please don’t do anything stupid,” Chanyeol whispered. If Baekhyun had heard correctly, that was most definitely an invitation to do something stupid. With a grin plastered across his face, he sauntered over to his seat.

Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol placed their serviettes on their laps and waited as the servants placed their meals in front of them. They had been trained in proper etiquette from the minute they entered the world. It was all a façade for those galas and events they had to attend. Sure, their families weren’t clean but the general public didn’t know that, and they weren’t going to know about it anytime soon.

“How are you feeling, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun’s father asked, and just like that, his father’s attention was on anyone but him. “Do you have a plan on what you’ll do tomorrow?”

Chanyeol gave him a brief smile. “It’d be foolish to disclose my game plan with one of my opponents present, wouldn’t it?” He shot a glance at Baekhyun who was purposely scraping his fork around his plate. They were having some foreign meal instead of traditional Korean cuisine. Ever since his father had travelled the world, he had become some sort of cultured wanker.

Baekhyun’s father puffed his chest out, and Baekhyun smirked at his reaction. He didn’t like being called out on the spot. Especially in front his children.

“You aren’t going to turn on your future brother-in-law, are you?”

The mention of brother-in-law captured Baekhyun’s attention. Their relationship would certainly become interesting as brothers-in-law. The mere thought of murmuring that word with his cock down Chanyeol’s throat turned him on.

“I don’t need anyone’s help, father,” Baekhyun said as he sliced another piece of meat.

His father narrowed his gaze onto him, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the room.

“Your elder brother said the same thing and look where he is now,” he sneered.

“Daddy . . .” Jihyun quickly interjected, her voice trembled as she said the syllables.

“6 feet underground, that’s where he is,” his father finished off. For a man who lost his eldest son, he sure looked triumphant.

The death of Byun Baekbeom was a sore topic to discuss within the family, but his father managed to bring it up at all the wrong times. Baekhyun didn’t like to talk about it, and Jihyun definitely didn’t like to talk about it. But for some reason, his father had an infatuation with it. Baekhyun knew for a fact that it wasn’t because he was upset about it. If anything, he was embarrassed. Baekbeom died in the games seven years ago when he turned 21. He was one of the first participants to be killed, and his father had never lived that down.

Before his father could dig himself into a deeper hole, Chanyeol’s mother softly interjected, “Let’s focus on the present, shall we? We can’t change the past.”

Jihyun nodded in agreement as she wiped the tears coming out of her eyes with a serviette. Baekhyun watched concern takeover Chanyeol’s face whose sole attention was on Jihyun. He didn’t like it one bit. He wanted his attention on him and only him.

Baekhyun slid his hand under the tablecloth and moved it around until it landed on Chanyeol’s thigh. Chanyeol, who didn’t break eye-contact with Jihyun, merely clenched his jaw. Satisfied with this, Baekhyun began to rub his hand up and down at a leisurely pace, slowly making his way to the region he most desired.

“The games will be held in Seoul this year, correct?” Chanyeol’s father asked. He wasn’t much of a talker, so the fact that he’d asked a question was a little surprising.

“It’ll be held in the Gangnam district,” Baekhyun’s father replied as he picked up another piece of food.

Every year, a region was selected to host the Games. The city itself wasn’t involved, but rather, the people who ran the black market in that area would be selected. The Games was an event that ran for seven-days, and all the people who made up the black market were involved. The hitmen, drug lords, henchmen, and even the distributors were involved. If Baekhyun and Chanyeol were their future leaders, they needed to cement their ability to rule. That was the point of the game. To show them who’s boss.

The servants came in and took the plates away and replaced them with new ones. As everyone’s attention was on the new food that’d just been put in front of them, Baekhyun slipped his hand into Chanyeol’s pants and wrapped his hand around his cock. Chanyeol instantly let out a groan which caused Jihyun’s head to snap up.

“Are you alright, Chanyeol?” She tilted her head to the side, concern written all over her face.

“He’s probably just nervous for tomorrow, love,” Chanyeol’s mother replied before he could even open his mouth.

She was partially right. He was nervous but not for tomorrow – no, he was nervous about what was going to happen within the next three minutes it took him to come.

“Should we go over the rules one more time?” Jihyun suggested, and Chanyeol nodded his head with his eyes glued to his plate. He wanted the attention on anyone but himself.

Baekhyun smiled at his Jihyun and gave her a quick nod as well. This was far too entertaining. Chanyeol’s length was now entirely hard and throbbing under Baekhyun’s grip.

“There aren’t many rules to go over, Jihyun,” Baekhyun’s father hissed. “All you two need to remember is that you have to kill or be killed, and you can’t hold any grudges after the games.”

Brushing his thumb over the head of the cock, Baekhyun spread Chanyeol’s pre-cum down the rest of his shaft. He was getting close, and Baekhyun was sitting in the front row to see how his friend would manage to hide it.

“Have you heard anything about the bounties on their heads?” Jihyun asked. One problem with Jihyun was that she never stopped asking questions. It was like she was a three-year-old who just learned how to talk.

“Only the hitmen know about that,” Baekhyun answered, but Jihyun didn’t even glance at him. Her attention was all on Chanyeol.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” A line appeared between her perfect brows. “You’re starting to look a bit sweaty.”

Chanyeol swallowed hard. So hard that it looked almost painful. “I–I’m fine,” he stammered out before stuffing his mouth with food.

“I doubt the bounties on these two would be very high,” Chanyeol’s father commented. “They’re more likely to go after Kim Jongdae.”

Baekhyun’s father nodded in agreement. “Kim Jongdae is the one with all the money. They’d be fools not to go after him first.”

“Well, there’s no point in wasting our precious time together worrying about it,” Chanyeol’s mother said. “It’s a rite of passage for our family, and we shall adhere to it.”

Jihyun crossed her arms like the princess she was. She didn’t like the games one bit. The fact that she could lose both her fiancé and brother this time only made things worse for her. Baekhyun doubted that she was going to get any sleep over the next seven days.

“Don’t look so sad, little sister,” Baekhyun smiled, exuding with confidence. “I’m not going to die.”

“That confidence will get you killed, boy,” his father muttered, and the smile that was on Baekhyun’s face disappeared in an instant. Even on the eve of the Games, his father was still an absolute dickhead to him. Nothing would ever change between them.

Chanyeol’s laboured breaths began to catch the attention of his parents now. His chest was heaving up and down, and his face was covered in sweat.

“You are looking a bit ill there, Chanyeol,” his mother said softly. “Perhaps, it’ll be best if you lie down.”

Baekhyun shifted his gaze to Chanyeol who was staring at his full dinner plate with his palms flat on the table. It looked like he’d barely taken a bite of his food tonight. His jaw was clenched so hard that he could see a vein popping out of his neck. It should happen any minute now, so he pumped a little faster. A litter harder.

Chanyeol slowly raised his hand off the table and picked up his fork. Baekhyun watched in amusement as he took a sip of his champagne. Instead of lowering his hand to his plate, Chanyeol began to slowly lower his hand beneath the table, and suddenly, Baekhyun felt a sharp pain course through his entire leg.

Baekhyun spat out his champagne and started to cough. Four sets of eyes looked at him, and he quickly pulled his hand out of Chanyeol’s pants and circled his hands around the fork that was sticking out of his thigh. His murderous glare went straight to Chanyeol who was relaxing in his chair with a smirk across his lips.

 _He fucking stabbed me_.

As his coughing subsided, his family’s curious glances returned to their places.

“It must’ve gone down the wrong way, sorry,” Baekhyun grounded out between his teeth.

His hand gripped onto the fork tightly, and after he counted to three, he ripped it out and dropped it onto the white carpet. The servants were bound to notice it later when they removed the white tablecloth. He wouldn’t be able to cover it up – not in the fucking white dining room.

He squeezed his eyes shut and grunted as the pain throbbed throughout his body. He was certain that he was causing a scene – a scene that was meant to be caused by Chanyeol but fuck. He didn’t give a damn.

“I think something was stuck in my throat,” he muttered as his hand covered the wound on his leg. He needed to bandage it up before it got infected. Chanyeol knew that getting injured would put him at a disadvantage. He knew that, and yet, he still did it. It was nice to know where his priorities laid tonight.

Blood continued to ooze out of the wound and with every drop of blood that came out of his leg, Baekhyun’s face paled. If his family weren’t there, he would be completely content in stabbing his knife into Chanyeol’s hand.

Baekhyun stood up abruptly. “I need to go to sleep.” The words came out faster than he could process them. “I don’t want to be at a disadvantage because I didn’t get enough sleep the night beforehand.”

He looked directly into Chanyeol’s eyes as he said this. He could see the regret lying behind them, and he knew his punishment would be coming soon. But what sort of punishment would he deserve after doing something as idiotic as this? Would Chanyeol even be alive by the time he got around to doing it?

The real question was: would either of them be alive at the end of all this?

As Baekhyun pushed his chair in, he leaned down to Chanyeol’s ear and whispered, “You better fucking remember this when I stab you in the throat later this week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still unsure about what the Games are, leave a comment and I can explain lol I tried to explain them organically but yeah, sometimes it's not always obvious.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for the Kudos, subscriptions, bookmarks, and comments! Please continue to share the love because it's really encouraging! See you next week :)


	5. Parallels

The murmurs of chatter and the sound of metal chains thrashing against steel flowed into one of Baekhyun’s ears and out the other. These voices belonged to men he had never met before. They were talking about something—something he couldn’t quite make out. They were too quiet, speaking in a dialect too difficult to understand.

_Those voices, who are they?_

Baekhyun tried to open his eyes but they wouldn’t budge. It was like his body was frozen in some sort of paralysis. His arms felt too heavy to lift or move. His tongue felt like a piece of sandpaper and there was nothing he could do to fix it.

_What’s happening to me?_

He tried opening his mouth once again, but it remained sealed shut. He wanted to yell at the people who were holding him hostage in the back of some sort of van. He wanted to scream at them when they began to laugh. What were they laughing at? He hadn’t a clue. All he knew was that he wanted—no, he needed to get out of there. But how was he going to manage that when he couldn’t lift an eyelash?

His curiosity was beginning to get to him. He mustered up all the concentration within him and tried to open his eyes again. To no one’s surprise, least of all his own, it didn’t work.

_Was this it? Was this the end?_

In an instant, everything stopped moving. The chains stopped thrashing against the steel and the hum of the vehicle disappeared. Not long afterwards, two car doors slammed shut and heavy footsteps followed outside. The sound of a padlock being unlocked was followed by a gust of icy, cold air entering the doorway of the van.

“Time to get out,” a gruff voice said as two calloused hands gripped his shoulders and dragged him out of the van, throwing him onto the cold ground.

The moment his body landed on the filthy pavement, a sharp intake of air filled his lungs. His eyes flew open but before he could move or register anything, another body was thrown on top of him. Too weak to do anything, Baekhyun focussed his attention on his short, shallow breaths.

“Only these two for this stop?” a hushed voice asked.

“Yep, we only have a few stops left after this one,” the other man replied.

The door slammed shut and their footsteps grew faint until they disappeared altogether. The rumble of the van started up again and no more than a minute later, Baekhyun was all alone with a complete stranger on top of him.

“Get the fuck off me,” he grunted as he wiggled underneath the stranger until they rolled off. Baekhyun sat up and looked around him. The sky was bleak, and it was absolutely freezing. The temperature had to be in the negatives.

Behind him was a brick wall with graffiti tags sprawled all across it and directly in front of him, he could see a glimpse of the road. Not only did they dump him in the middle of fucking nowhere but they had to dump him in an alleyway with two dumpsters that smelled like they were housing dead bodies.

This was absolutely _perfect_.

Not.

Baekhyun watched as the boy, who was only on top of him a few minutes ago, struggled to get onto his feet and walk along the alleyway toward the road with a hand on the wall, holding himself up. They’d both been drugged in their sleep and brought here—that much was clear.

With a deep sigh, Baekhyun carefully picked himself up and dragged his feet along the concrete until he reached the end of the alleyway, looking onto the road. Now that he was closer, he looked at the boy beside him and realised he hadn’t met him before. But there was no mistake that he was in the exact same situation as Baekhyun was—son to a wealthy family of the underbelly.

“Where the hell are we?” Baekhyun mumbled under his breath. It was a rhetorical question because he knew the boy hadn’t a clue either.

“I can’t read the sign over there without my glasses on,” the boy answered, pointing his index finger at the street sign across the road.

Baekhyun squinted his eyes slightly, trying to read the sign. If he knew what street they’d been dumped in then, he might have a chance of making his way to a place he knew well.

 _Se_ —

 _Seol_ —

 _Seolleu_ —

The piercing sound of a bullet cracked through the air and the boy who had been standing right next to him fell face-first onto the hard-concrete ground. With eyes as wide as saucers, Baekhyun slowly looked at the body whose head was slowly seeping with blood. The sight of blood was the least of Baekhyun’s concerns. He wasn’t a stranger to it after all.

Baekhyun was so shocked at what had just happened that he almost, _almost_ , didn’t react. Snapping his head back, his gaze narrowed in the direction where the bullet came from and he couldn’t see anything. Which meant only one thing — whoever it was, was on the move and Baekhyun had to get the fuck out of there.

His brain was miles away from understanding what was happening but his gut instinct kicked him in the ass, forcing his legs to start moving.

Jumping over the limp body, Baekhyun broke into a sprint, running around the corner and down the street. He slipped and slid all over the place, still unsteady after whatever drug he’d been forced to consume. Throwing his head over his shoulder, he could see three hooded men right on his trail. This was all part of the games. People chasing him, people dying, people trying to kill him. But there was one question on his mind:

_How the fuck did they find me?_

Pins and needles jabbed his face, the coldness of the morning air was finally getting to him. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him but it wasn’t enough. The distance was closing, each stride sending him into a panic. His thigh—where Chanyeol had stabbed him—was screaming out in pain. As soon as he hit the corner, he had no option other than to climb up the wired fence. Hoping he would be fast enough to climb over, he latched onto the fence and made his way up to the top. Just as he threw one leg over the barbed wire, a throwing knife was lodged right into his shoulder.

“Holy fuck,” he grunted as he pulled himself over the top and fell to the hard ground. He squeezed his eyes shut, his insides rolling over at the pain throbbing throughout his body.

Opening his eyes slightly, he turned his head to the fence and saw a lone man. There was something about this man who reminded Baekhyun a lot of himself. Baekhyun sat up and watched as the man came closer to the fence separating them, shrugging off his hoodie and revealing his messy, bleached blonde hair. Chains wrapped around his neck and wrists, piercings lined his ears all along the cartilage.

The man squatted and shot a grin at Baekhyun who was pulling the knife out of his shoulder ever so slowly. Baekhyun grunted and spat on the ground, trying to conceal how much pain he was in.

“What happened to the others?” Baekhyun asked in between his heavy breaths.  

“Dead,” he replied nonchalantly, his eyes fixated on the blood dripping from the blade in Baekhyun’s hand.

Baekhyun let out a gruff laugh—he didn’t know whether to believe him or if this guy was outright crazy.

“Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because you’re mine.”

He took a couple of steps until his face was right against the wired fence; close enough for Baekhyun to gouge his eyes out with the knife in his hand. His black eyes looked at Baekhyun as he licked his bottom lip.

“So, you’re going to kill me now?”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“No,” he said while shaking his head. “I like playing with my prey so you better start running because the next knife I throw is gonna cut your artery.”

He dragged his finger across his neck with a sardonic smile which vanished within a second. His fingers latched onto the fence and he began to climb it at the speed of light. Baekhyun stumbled to his feet and without a second glance, he rounded the corner in an effort to escape.

Except, he knew he wouldn’t make it far.  

Turning down into another alleyway, he pushed down a door and fell inside. He couldn’t run anymore – he could barely stay conscious with the pain shooting up and down throughout his entire body.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck,” he seethed through his teeth as he tore his t-shirt off and tied it around the wound. “I’m not going to be the first to fucking die in this stupid fucking game.”

The door he’d just come through swung open and a beam of light shone straight on his limp body on the floor.

The man with bleached hair sauntered in with a lazy grin across his face.

“You make it too easy,” he said as he towered over Baekhyun.

Baekhyun continued to wrap his shirt around his wound, ignoring him completely.

He spat on the top of Baekhyun’s head that was facing down.

“Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

Slowly lifting his head, Baekhyun looked at him with defiance burning in his eyes.

“How the fuck did you know I was gonna be dumped off there?”

He picked up his knife that was on the ground beside Baekhyun as he pondered on the thought.

“You have a high bounty,” he said as he cleaned the knife on the hem of his shirt. “Need I say more?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and spat out saliva on the ground. “How much?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you,” he said as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.

“Does it fucking matter since you’re gonna kill me anyway?”

“You have the second highest bounty,” he muttered.

Baekhyun couldn’t hide the shock across his face. “Who has the highest?”

The man cocked an eyebrow at him. “Why does it matter to you?”

“I wanna know whose life was worth more than my own,” Baekhyun said with a half-shrug.

“Kim Jongdae,” he said. “You know him?”

Baekhyun shrugged, not wanting to show anything. He didn’t want to give him any hint that he knew Jongdae. He was going to die so the least he could do was protect his friend.

“Doesn’t matter if you know him or not, I guess. He’s probably already dead.”

Baekhyun grimaced at the thought. He knew that Jongdae would have a tough time in the games considering he couldn’t hurt a fly but damn, having the highest bounty? That guy had not one ounce of luck within himself.

“So, nice talk,” Baekhyun said. “But if you’re going to kill me then I’d much rather you get it over quickly.” He gave the man a forced smile that it quickly faded away when the other man shook his head.

“Giving up so easily,” he said, shaking his head side to side. “I expected more from the infamous Byun Baekhyun.

Baekhyun smirked. “Pass me one of your pretty knives and I’ll give you a taste of it.”

A Cheshire smile appeared on the man’s face. “I’d never back down from a duel.”

He dropped the knife that was in Baekhyun’s shoulder only a few minutes ago and walked away. Baekhyun got onto his feet, gripping the knife tightly. His thigh was injured and now his shoulder as injured – he’d need a goddamn miracle to get out of this alive.

Luckily for him, knives were his specialty.

Their knives glinted in the sun that was shining through the door they’d left open. Baekhyun’s vision was blurring as he stared at the man standing across from him. He focussed his eyes on his target, gazing his lithe body up and down.

Suddenly and without warning, Baekhyun lunged and sank his knife into the shoulder of his opponent. Blood began to stream down the man's body and Baekhyun's hand. He loved this feeling.

“It wouldn’t be much of a duel if we weren’t on even playing fields, would it?” 

Baekhyun’s hand was covered in blood—his blood and all that could be heard in the room was heavy breathing and Baekhyun’s light footsteps as he backed away.

He didn’t get far away before the man ran for him, trying to stab him in the side. It was a foolish move - completely and utterly predictable. Baekhyun grabbed the man’s hand and turned his knife towards him. It was a battle of strength. A contest of who wanted to live more.

One burst with all his body weight was all it took for the knife to be lodged into the man’s bicep.

Baekhyun loosened his hold on the knife wedged into the man’s arm and tackled him to the floor, with his own knife pressed against his artery.

The man’s eyes widened as soon as Baekhyun pushed the knife ever-so-slightly into his skin. Fear flashed in his eyes and his head trembled.

“No, no, wait! Please!”

A crease formed in Baekhyun’s forehead. When he was up this close, looking into the man’s eyes, he could see something. A sense of youth. A sense of innocence. These eyes didn’t belong to an assassin. All the confidence he had earlier had disappeared.

In the corner of his eye, Baekhyun spotted a wallet that didn’t belong to him. He reached over and opened it with his free hand.

“Kim Jongin,” he mumbled the name on the ID. “You’re only eighteen years old?”

He lightly nodded his head.

“Why are you out here killing people?” he asked as he pulled out an old, damaged photo from the wallet.

It was a photo of Jongin and a little girl. It was clearly old because there wasn’t a hint of bleach in his hair. They were wearing school uniforms, smiling at the camera with the little girl’s arms wrapped around his leg.

“For _her._ ”

“Sister?” Baekhyun asked and Jongin nodded. “What’s her name?”

“Yoojin,” he said softly. “She turned nine last month.”

Baekhyun slowly nodded, his eyes unmoving from the picture.

“Where are your parents?”

“They’ve been dead for two years,” he said. “No one would take us in so it’s just been the two of us.”

“A nine-year-old’s whole livelihood depends on you and _this_ is the line of work you chose to be in?” Baekhyun shook his head. “You’re a selfish prick.”

“It’s not like I chose it,” he scoffed. “I stole from the wrong guy and the only repayment they’d accept was this sort of work. You really think I wanna do this? You really think I don’t hate myself every fucking day I have to go out and do this shit while I leave Yoojin with my neighbour?”

Baekhyun shrugged.

“You wouldn’t understand. You’re an entitled piece of shit who has had everything he ever wanted handed to him on a sliver platter,” he spat, venom in his voice. “All the plans I had, all the dreams I had were taken right out of my hands and thrown into the ocean. But you know what? You’re right. I am a selfish prick. But not because of what I do, no,” he shook his head. “No, I’m a selfish prick because every time I go out to kill someone, I hope I’m the one who dies. So, by all means, kill me!”

Tears were rolling down his face now with his eyes squeezed shut, anticipating the pain that was soon to follow.

Baekhyun looked at the boy beneath him with no expression. All this time he thought he was fighting against a man but Jongin was no more than a boy. A boy who never got to grow up. A boy with a little sister depending on him—like him and Jihyun.

Baekhyun withdrew the knife and stood up.

“I’m not going to kill you,” he said, walking to the door they’d both came in.

“Why not?” his voice broke.

“Because my little sister hasn’t been the same since our elder brother died,” he said.

“They said you were heartless,” he gritted.

“No one’s truly heartless – you just need to find their weak spot,” he said. “I’ll arrange to have your debt paid. You’re not suited for this work and Yoojin deserves better.”

He walked out of the room without sparing a glance over his shoulder.

Baekhyun looked at the grey sky above him and wondered how the fuck he was still alive. His only plan now was to hide for the rest of the week—all his plans of killing everyone and anyone were scrapped.

Slamming the door shut behind him, Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he instinctively took a step back, but it was futile.

A man with big, round eyes and short black hair had hit him with a baseball bat and his body had fallen with a thud to the round.

The grey sky above him was turning black now.

 _Please get me out of this nightmare._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back ^_^ Sorry for the hiatus!   
> Also, I'm trash at writing fight scenes so please forgive me.  
> Feedback and comments are always welcome! Thanks for the kudos <3


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